Submitted by Christine Whelan

Nov 25, 2021, VOL. 3 ISSUE 7

Button Holes tells a story of “small-town politics and the people who shape and subvert them” — and their secrets.

As the back cover reveals, this novel, “gyrates through more surprising twists and turns than The Cyclone at Crystal Beach, leaving readers doubting those they trust to lead their own communities.”

I asked the author, John Scott, who currently lives in Peterborough these days with his wife, Susan, the simple question, “Why Fort Erie?”

He replied, “I was thinking, I’d like to write a book, and the plot that I wanted to develop could only take place in a border town with an old, historical fort and an American presence nearby.”

There aren’t too many of those towns to choose from.

“It starts off with an archeological find near the Old Fort, in 1988,” Scott began to describe. Here, he shared, one of his inspirations, was the discovery of bodies that were found at Snake Hill, along the lakeshore, east of the Old Fort, back in November of 1987.

The protagonist is the mayor of the small town, whose last name is Wessel, which earns him the nickname “Weasel”, of course, behind his back. However, John admits, with what the character does and the way he is with the people of his town, he himself, suits the nickname. As the synopsis on the back for the cover tells us, Wessel “thrives on manipulating people and events in his town — until a well-hidden truth jeopardizes his sure-fire plan.”

Add into the plot, an American Army major, the editor of the town’s newspaper, and a developer who pays for the mayor’s support “stirring the pot of intrigue”.

Scott shared a significant connection and inspiration for the setting and some of the plot choices. “I was the editor of the Fort Erie Times Review for 18 months back in 1971-72.”

He explained a little about his journey. “I didn’t do too much with it at first, a little bit here and there. But then, along came retirement, and then we had COVID. Writing is the perfect thing to do when you have to stay home. So, I finished the book in 2019. It’s taken until now to get it all polished and ready for the public.”

The subtitle to Button Holes is Discovering the Gaps In Small-town Politics. “So, that’s what the buttonholes are. The second book is called Closing the Gaps to Small-town Politics, which picks up five minutes after the first one ends.” He hopes the second novel will be out in the summer of next year.

“I have enjoyed writing all my life. I wrote articles, humorous columns, and promotional pieces and I wondered, could I write a novel? This goes back 25 years ago, so it was quite a bit after I left Fort Erie.”

While Button Holes took John 25 years to finish, “The second book took only 10 months to write. I’m about six chapters into the third book now. It starts ten minutes after the second one ends.”

When asked if this will be the last book and make it a trilogy or does he plan on keeping the story going, he replied, “I’ll have to see what the characters tell me.” Then added, “I’ve never written fiction before. I’m surprised at how much the story is written by the people.”

About the Author

John and Susan have three married children and four grandchildren. Another Fort Erie connection emerged. “I still have relatives in Fort Erie and they are very supportive.”

Scott was in journalism for 16 years, the Information Officer of York Region for 16 years, and, “On the side, I wrote speeches and press releases for candidates for every level of political office — federal, provincial, regional, local, board of education.”

“I wrote a book in the 1990s on how local government works. It was called, Insights: Local and Regional Government in the Regional Municipality of York. It won an educational award. It was primarily used as a textbook in high schools.”

The research for these books, John stated, was his life.

Scott will be coming to Fort Erie. “I’m going to be doing a reading and signing at the Fort Erie Public Library, in the Community Room on December 2nd at 1-4 pm.”

You can find Button Holes at Lakeside Books and Art on Ridge Rd. N. or you can email author, John Scott, at jrscott@bell.net

Photos by Lakeside Books and Art